Upcoming Races

I know it’s been awhile since my last blog so I will try to run down some of the different things I have going in relation to triathlon training and racing. I have not raced since the Tri Raider Sprint in Lubbock at the end of June. To be honest I have wanted to race, but either a race was too far away or it wasn’t the right distance for me. I will be competing in the Dam IT Sprint this weekend and the Odessa Tumbleweed Sprint the following weekend and look forward to getting back in action.

Training has been going well, but I’m at somewhat of a crossroads. I still have lots of work in order to increase my speed for sprints, but I’m also preparing for the 70.3 at Elephant Butte. I have been juggling both types of workouts and I know it’s not ideal, but everything has been going according to plan. I might not have all the endurance I need for the 70.3, but I’ll be in good enough shape to finish middle of the pack.

Maintain your bike, maintain your bike, and maintain your bike! I took my bike in for a little tune-up and couldn’t believe the difference in performance. I had the brakes adjusted, the gears tightened, and the chain and cassette cleaned and it almost seems like a totally new bike. I have been putting around 500 miles a month on the bike and hadn’t gone in for a tune-up in over four months. For those of you just starting out make sure you get a tune-up at least every six months and while the work is getting done pay attention to what the technician is doing and you could do most of the stuff yourself, especially the cleaning and lubricating of the cassette and gears. I also have ordered my first disk wheel and I’m excited to start training with it and using it in races. I know hills and lots of winds are not ideal for a disk, but if I can train enough with it this winter I’m hoping to use it at least 50% of the time next season.

Hope to have a race report for the Dam IT Sprint up by Monday.